Synonyms in a broader sense
cracked lips, chapped lips, sunburn on the lips
Causes in the baby
Just like in adults, dry lips can have many causes in babies. Dry lips can be a warning sign of a negative fluid balance (exsiccosis), for example in the context of diarrhoea or hot weather due to excessive sweating. Dry lips can also occur in babies due to iron deficiency.
Infants who receive milk substitutes based on cow’s milk are particularly affected. Cow’s milk contains far less iron than breast milk, which is optimally adapted to the baby. In addition, cow’s milk is less effectively absorbed in the intestine than mother’s milk, and milk and egg products generally reduce the absorption of iron in the intestine.
Furthermore, babies can develop allergies to certain care products, which are associated with dry lips, itching and burning. For baby care, therefore, only particularly mild products should be used, which are fragrance-free and contain as few additives as possible. Breast milk is ideal for dry baby lips, and a few drops of it can be spread on the baby’s lips. Breast milk is naturally very rich and is guaranteed not to cause allergies or contain dubious ingredients.
Mental causes
In addition to insufficient fluid intake, other factors can also lead to a reduction in saliva production and the mouth and lips no longer receive the necessary amount of fluid. An important component here is psychological stress. In the body of every person there is the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system.
The parasympathetic nervous system is more likely to start up when the person is at rest and relaxed. It includes the increase of the stomach and intestinal function and the production of saliva. The opposite is true for the sympathetic nervous system, which is activated in emergency situations and when the highest concentration is required from the body.
Under these circumstances, saliva production is also reduced. Saliva is naturally produced in order to decompose the supplied food already in the mouth. In stressful situations it is not to be assumed that food will be consumed soon.
The evolutionary stress situations, such as fleeing from animals etc. are no longer relevant today, so that situations such as tension before tests, interpersonal conflicts etc. are a cause for increased sympathetic nervous system activation. People who are often in these situations, literally under electric current and thus have a constant increase of the sympathetic nervous system, complain more often about dry lips due to reduced saliva production. If a reduced amount of drinking is added to this, the effect of dry lips can be intensified.
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